Valve's Steam Deck VR headset has entered the top ten most popular VR devices listed in the latest Steam Hardware Survey. Following its late September release, October marked the first full month of its availability, and data shows a substantial increase in its user base on Steam.
In September, the Steam Deck VR accounted for 0.41% of VR headset usage according to the survey. By October, this figure surged to 4.13%, propelling it past several established headsets including the Oculus Rift S, Sony PS VR2, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality platform, the original Oculus Rift, and the Bigscreen Beyond. It now ranks as the sixth most popular VR headset, trailing the Pico 4 by a narrow margin and the Meta Quest 3 by a considerable amount.
The 3.72% increase for the Steam Deck VR represents the largest single upward movement in headset usage for October. Conversely, the Oculus Quest 2 experienced the most significant decline, losing 3.57% of its user share.
While the Steam Deck VR officially launched on September 18, with pre-orders opening on September 14, shipping times likely influenced the October usage figures. The increase can be attributed both to ongoing sales throughout October and the delivery of pre-ordered units. The ongoing demand is further underscored by the fact that both the 256 GB and 1 TB models are currently backordered, indicating that user adoption is expected to continue.
| Headset | October Percentage | | --- | --- | | Meta Quest 3 | 27.27% (+0.36) | | Oculus Quest 2 | 22.23% (-3.57) | | Meta Quest 3S | 11.04% (-0.04) | | Valve Index HMD | 9.9% (-0.93) | | Pico 4 | 4.5% (-0.25) | | Valve Steam Frame | 4.13% (+3.72) | | Oculus Rift S | 3.26% (-0.14) | | Sony PS VR2 | 2.41% (+0.1) | | HTC Vive | 2% (-0.26) | | Windows Mixed Reality | 1.79% (-0.06) |
The significant jump in Steam Deck VR usage, even with current availability challenges, suggests positive momentum for Valve's latest hardware in the VR market. However, it is important to note that the Steam Hardware Survey relies on opt-in participation, meaning it represents a fraction of the total Steam user base. Consequently, these statistics offer a general indication rather than a definitive count.
For comparison, recent shifts in graphics card popularity within the same survey highlight the fluctuating nature of these user-based statistics. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, currently the most popular graphics card, saw a minor increase of 0.08%, while the RTX 4060 experienced a decrease of 0.40%, placing it below the RTX 3060. These examples illustrate how survey data can shift month to month.
Despite these fluctuations, the upward trend for the Steam Deck VR is a promising sign for Valve's newest piece of hardware in the virtual reality space.